Petrol shortages hit Vic, NSW hardest

The public is being urged not to panic-buy fuel as grounded Cootes trucks may cause fuel shortages. Source: AAP

FUEL supplies are expected to run low at southern Australian service stations for days while hundreds of Cootes Transport vehicles are grounded or forced to undergo repairs.

A massive audit of the trucking company's fleet was launched in NSW and Victoria following last week's horrific tanker crash in Mona Vale, Sydney, which killed two people.

By Tuesday, authorities had grounded 79 Cootes trucks in Victoria and 23 in NSW.

Petrol companies say some fuel deliveries have been affected but motorists are urged not to panic buy.

Navi Kahlon, an attendant at a petrol station in the Melbourne suburb of Balaclava, told AAP several kinds of petrol were running low.

"It has been very busy and the customers have been very angry," she said.

"I just say to them, 'have you seen the news?'"

VicRoads inspectors have now completed their four-day audit of 205 Cootes vehicles in that state, issuing 181 defect notices.

"With regards to when the grounded vehicles will return to operation, that is largely dependent on the company, on the nature of the faults and how quickly the company can organise for repairs to be carried out," VicRoads Chief Operating Officer Peter Todd said.

VicRoads is now reviewing the company's heavy vehicle accreditation.

In NSW, Roads and Maritime Services and police have launched the second phase of their audit, ordering the Cootes LPG tanker fleet and all the company's remaining heavy vehicles off the road for inspection.

About half the 53 defect notices issued so far are for major problems including brake failures, suspension and steering faults.

NSW inspectors handed down 174 notices during the first stage.

A BP spokesman told AAP the company was operating at 64 per cent of its normal capacity.

"With so many vehicles off the road, our distribution networks have been disrupted, particularly in Melbourne and Sydney," he said.

"If it would normally take three days to fulfil an order, it's now taking four days."

He said it was "regrettable" but the company was doing everything it could to get supply moving again, including diverting some of its own trucks from regional areas.

Shell Australia said customers in NSW and Western Australia shouldn't be affected.

"Customers in Victoria, southeast Queensland and Adelaide may see some temporary periods of fuel availability at a small number of Shell service stations until fresh deliveries are made," spokesman Paul Zennaro said in a statement.

A Caltex spokesman said supply of all fuel products was "more than adequate to meet demand" and distribution disruptions would have a limited impact on customers.

One in 10 Caltex-supplied Melbourne metro servos have experienced petrol or diesel shortages, he said.

The company is not expecting any more petrol or diesel disruptions in NSW or the ACT but some LPG deliveries have been disrupted there.

LPG supplies have also been affected in South Australia.

Colin Long of the NSW Service Station Association said some stations were starting to run out of certain fuel types and one in the Blue Mountains had run out of everything.

But he said there was no cause for alarm.

"There's no reason to panic buy because we anticipate within a few days those deliveries will be back to normal," he told AAP.

A Cootes spokeswoman could not confirm how many trucks remained off the road.

In a statement she said "once any issues identified have been addressed the vehicles are being returned to service".

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Abbott's fitness shouldn't cost public:ALP

Anthony Albanese believes Peter Slipper (pic) has been treated harshly over travel expense claims. Source: AAP

CHRIS Bowen admires Tony Abbott's fitness regime but the interim Labor leader says taxpayers shouldn't have to cover the cost of the Prime Minister showing off his sporting prowess.

Mr Abbott has repaid over $1700 claimed for travelling to the weddings of former colleagues Sophie Mirabella and Peter Slipper in 2006.

But he is defending the use of parliamentary entitlements to enter an ironman triathlon and the annual Pollie Pedal charity fundraiser.

"I believe that all of my claims have been within entitlement," he told reporters at the APEC leaders forum in Bali.

Mr Abbott claimed nearly $1300 in flights and allowances for a night at Port Macquarie in November 2011 when he competed in the ironman triathlon in the marginal NSW seat.

"I don't go to marginal seats simply for sporting events ... and I think you'll find there were quite a few other community events involved in those visits," he said.

Mr Bowen says it didn't appear Mr Abbott had participated in any other community events in Port Macquarie.

"It's good that Mr Abbott tries to keep fit ... but if he chooses to participate in an ironman event, that is in my view pretty clearly a personal issue, a personal expense, not something the taxpayer can fairly be asked to cover," he said.

Coalition ministers George Brandis and Barnaby Joyce have also repaid expenses they claimed for travel to former shock jock Michael Smith's 2011 wedding - and a clutch of others are also caught up in expense controversies.

But it's not just the government caught up in the furore.

Hours after calling for "some serious investigation" into the coalition's expenses claims, shadow attorney-general Mark Dreyfus paid back $466 he claimed for staying two nights in Canberra in August 2011 when he was actually skiing in the Snowy Mountains.

His office called it an administrative error, saying Mr Dreyfus had taken the trip on a weekend between two parliamentary sitting weeks in Canberra without his staff knowing he had left the capital.

Labor frontbencher Tony Burke said Mr Abbott shouldn't be surprised at the outcry given his "holier than thou" attitude over former speaker Peter Slipper's alleged expense rorts.

"If you're going to do the character assassination that Tony Abbott and George Brandis did on Peter Slipper, then I don't think you can be surprised when the public want to apply the same standards that these two men held up," he said.

Labor doesn't take issue with $3500 Mr Abbott claimed when taking part in the 2012 Pollie Pedal through regional Australia as it allows for engagement with community groups in towns that rarely see politicians.

Mr Abbott will take part in it again in 2014 and plans to use his allowances "to the extent that it involves being away from home".

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WA diver stable after shark attack

AN abalone diver is in a stable condition after a shark attack off a remote part of Western Australia's southern coast while the Department of Fisheries is trying to catch and kill the animal.

Greg Pickering, 55, was collecting the delicacy off Poison Creek at Cape Arid National Park, about 180km east of Esperance, when he was attacked by a white pointer shark at about 10.30am (WST) on Tuesday.

He was rushed to Esperance Hospital for treatment for bite wounds, mainly to his torso, and is being transferred to Royal Perth Hospital.

Mr Pickering also has minor injuries to his face.

His employer, Marcus Tromp of Southern Wild Abalone, said he was pleased Mr Pickering was in a stable condition after being rushed to shore from a very remote part of the ocean by his shocked colleagues.

"To be conscious and talking is very promising," Mr Tromp told AAP.

"It was colleagues helping colleagues. In diving or farming or mining, people working in the same field and close working colleagues would do the same thing."

Meanwhile, the Department of Fisheries has sent officers to the attack site and set traps after its Director General gave orders for the animal to be killed.

Mr Tromp said Mr Pickering's family was calm despite the drama.

He is believed to have been an abalone diver for over 40 years and was in 2004 reportedly bitten by a 1.5 metre bronze whaler while in waters near Cervantes, north of Perth, as he was trying to help a friend.

He reportedly put himself between his friend and the shark when it began attacking and was bitten on the leg.

The experienced spear fisherman had another close call in 2009, when the boat he was diving under in Ceduna in South Australia was capsized.

He and another deckhand were found by rescue crews in a life raft after about three hours.

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No alcohol restrictions after Darwin death

The NT's chief minister says there are no current plans to change alcohol regulations. Source: AAP

THE Northern Territory chief minister says he is not planning to impose any service or licensing restrictions to curb alcohol-fuelled violence in Darwin despite the fatal stabbing of a young man at the weekend.

Josh Spicer, 27, from Palmerston, was killed at about 8pm on Friday night after getting into a fight in the Darwin CBD.

Brian Paul Kelly, 46, turned himself in to police and will face a murder charge in court on Wednesday.

But Chief Minister Adam Giles said the city would not rush to follow those in NSW in imposing restrictions on alcohol.

"We don't want to have any knee-jerk responses," he told reporters on Tuesday.

"It's in everybody's interest that there's a safe environment. If people behave themselves, things will continue the way they are, but if we continue to have ... misbehaviour, government will have to act and get tough on the regulations."

The government was not currently looking at changing alcohol regulations, he said, but was reviewing the criteria for opening hours of licensed venues.

"We don't want to see situations where someone's not coming home at night because they've gotten into a violent brawl," Mr Giles said.

Reduced trading hours, lockouts and restrictions on high alcohol content drinks in the port city of Newcastle in NSW saw a drop in alcohol-related assaults by over a third, while hospital emergency department admissions dropped by a quarter.

According to the NT's most recent crime statistics, alcohol is a factor in almost two out of three assaults.

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Vic man stabbed by a mate

A MAN has walked into a police station after being stabbed in the torso by an acquaintance in Melbourne's east.

The Chirnside Park man told police he was stabbed after he got into an altercation with another man on the corner of Mena Avenue and Anzac Street in Croydon before 1.30pm (AEDT) on Sunday.

The man, who had a single stab wound, walked to the nearby Croydon police station where an ambulance was called and he was taken to Maroondah Hospital in a stable condition.

Police said the victim was not communicating with them on the matter. He reportedly knew the offender.

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Sydney Water rejects beach pollution claim

Some of Sydney's prime swimming spots have had their water quality ratings downgraded. Source: AAP

POLLUTION on Sydney's beaches is not due to job cuts or untreated waste water being pumped into the ocean, Sydney Water says.

The latest State of the Beaches report released on Sunday found that the water quality at formerly top-ranking beaches has dropped over the past year.

While 81 per cent of swimming locations reviewed across the state achieved very good or good gradings, only eight Sydney beaches are rated as very good - down from 15 last year.

The NSW opposition blamed the drop in water quality on job and budget cuts at Sydney Water.

It also pointed to a record number of bypasses at waste-water treatment plants.

"We are returning to the bad old days when it was unsafe to swim on the beaches due to overflows," opposition water spokesman Walt Secord said in a statement.

"The O'Farrell government cannot blame rain as NSW has experienced its warmest January to September period on record. NSW has had its mildest winter in more than 150 years."

But Sydney Water rejected the comments, saying they were untrue.

"The Beachwatch 2013 Report released today shows that 37 out of 38 ocean beaches in Sydney were graded as good or very good, despite a wet summer in 2012/13, which is an outstanding result," Sydney Water said in a statement.

According to the report, among the best swimming spots in Sydney are Palm Beach, Whale Beach and Avalon on the Northern Beaches.

But neighbouring beaches Dee Why, South Curl Curl and Mona Vale have all been downgraded from the very good rating they secured last year to good.

The report states while Dee Why is suitable for swimming most of the time the water is susceptible to pollution from several sources of faecal contamination, including stormwater.

South Curl Curl and Mona Vale are also susceptible to pollution following rainfall.

Boat Harbour near Cronulla was rated poor this year for the first time.

The report linked major rainfall events over the last couple of years as a major driver of pollution to recreational waters.

Six ocean beaches impacted by contamination - including discharge from lagoons and estuaries - were graded as poor including Killick Beach at Crescent Head and Terrigal Beach on the Central Coast.

NSW Services Minister Andrew Constance said any suggestion that raw sewage was being pumped onto Sydney beaches was "an outrageous lie".

He described the city's beaches as some of the cleanest in the world.

"During rain events wastewater undergoes wet weather treatment, in which 90 per cent of the treatment processes are completed," Mr Constance said in a statement.

He rejected Labor's job cut claims, but did say Sydney Water's ageing workforce meant staff numbers were decreasing significantly through natural attrition.

NSW Services Minister Andrew Constance said any suggestion that raw sewage was being pumped onto Sydney beaches was "an outrageous lie".

He described the city's beaches as some of the cleanest in the world.

"During rain events wastewater undergoes wet weather treatment, in which 90 per cent of the treatment processes are completed," Mr Constance said in a statement.

He rejected Labor's job cut claims, but did say Sydney Water's ageing workforce meant staff numbers were decreasing significantly through natural attrition.

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Prince Harry honours fallen SAS soldiers

Prince Harry has waved goodbye to Sydney following his visit for the International Fleet Review. Source: AAP

PRINCE Harry has honoured fallen SAS soldiers, and comforted their families, as he completed his whirlwind tour of Australia with a brief stopover in Western Australia.

After the fleet and fireworks in Sydney on Saturday, the 29-year-old Prince made his first visit to WA accompanied by Prime Minister Tony Abbott, with his day taken up mostly with a visit to the home of the SAS at the Campbell Barracks in the coastal suburb of Swanbourne.

A quick wardrobe change saw him ditch the dark-blue navy suit he arrived in to don combat fatigues for his meeting with the SAS troops, who have been based in Swanbourne since 1957.

Once there, he met past and present members of the unit, toured the base and joined families of fallen SAS members killed in the line of duty to lay wreaths in their memory.

The commanding officer of the SASR, who is known only as Lieutenant Colonel G to protect his identity, said the prince's visit was an honour and a privilege.

"Prince Harry knows what it means to serve his nation on operations and most importantly what it means to the families of those serving," Lieutenant Colonel G said.

"Families play a critical role for those serving in the SASR and indeed the whole of the ADF, and we are thankful that the families of some of our serving, former and fallen members were able to be here today."

As well as special forces, surfing spots were on Prince Harry's mind during an earlier meeting with WA premier Colin Barnett and his wife Lyn, both avowed royalists.

And landing from Sydney, the premier and the prince spent 30 minutes discussing the state and it's attractions - with the best surfing spot high on the prince's agenda.

"He said it was a short visit because he had to be back to work on Thursday - a delightful young man, full of energy and enthusiastic," Mr Barnett said.

"His query was where is the best surfing spot ... I should have said Cottesloe (where Mr Barnett lives) but I told him Margaret River. He showed close interest in the state and I am sure he would like to have a closer look around in the future."

Despite no official public functions for the prince in WA, a small crowd of well-wishers did gather at the airport to greet the royal, along with a troop of photographers and a helicopter from a local TV network.

Before his departure from Sydney, Prince Harry told reporters Australia already felt like a second home and he was very sad to be leaving.

"I just can't get the time off work these days," he said.

The prince will leave Perth later on Sunday evening en route to Dubai, where he is scheduled to attend the Sentebale 'Forget Me Not' ball on Monday.

Prince Harry was a co-founder of Sentebale - a charity set up to help vulnerable children.

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US raids terror leaders in Somalia, Libya

A Libyan militant leader, wanted by the US, has reportedly been kidnapped. Source: AAP

US forces have struck two militant targets in Africa, snatching a top Al-Qaeda suspect from the streets of Tripoli and launching a pre-dawn raid against an al-Shebab leader's home in Somalia.

In Libya, US forces seized a militant known as Abu Anas al-Libi, a long-sought Al-Qaeda operative indicted in the 1998 bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.

A separate raid in the southern Somali port of Barawe failed to capture the senior militant and it was unclear whether he had been killed, but a US official said several Al-Qaeda-linked al-Shebab members had been slain.

It was reportedly "prompted" by the deadly militant siege on a Nairobi shopping mall last month.

The operation in Libya however appeared to be a success.

"As the result of a US counterterrorism operation, Abu Anas al-Libi is currently lawfully detained by the US military in a secure location outside of Libya," Pentagon spokesman George Little said in a statement.

A source close to Libi told AFP he was snatched by armed men in Tripoli.

Libi, who was on the FBI's most wanted list with a $US5 million ($A5.34 million) reward, was indicted in US federal court in New York for allegedly playing a key role in the east Africa bombings.

The attacks left more than 200 people dead.

His capture ended a 15-year manhunt for a key Al-Qaeda operative, who was born under the name Nazih Abdul Hamed Al-Raghie.

It also paved the way for Libi, 49, to be brought to the United States to face trial.

"We hope that this makes clear that the United States of America will never stop in its effort to hold those accountable who conduct acts of terror," said Secretary of State John Kerry on Sunday, speaking from the Indonesian island of Bali.

The action should also make clear that "those members of Al-Qaeda and other terrorist organisations literally can run, but they can't hide," said Kerry, speaking during a break from meetings of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.

The US raid took place in broad daylight with the knowledge of the Libyan government, a US official told CNN.

Libyan security services denied the claim, saying they were unaware of any kidnapping or arrest of the man.

According to the indictment, Libi and other Al-Qaeda members discussed attacking the US Embassy in Nairobi as early as 1993, and even took pictures of the mission.

In 1994 Libi allegedly drew up plans to attack the mission as well as a building that housed the United States Agency for International Development, as well as British, French and Israeli targets.

A US official said the operation in Somalia sought to capture a "high-value" al-Shebab leader, and that no US personnel were injured or killed.

The operation marked the most significant US assault in Somalia since commandos killed key Al-Qaeda operative Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan in the same area four years ago.

It followed an attack by al-Shebab gunmen last month on the upscale Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi that left 67 people dead during a four-day siege.

"US personnel took all necessary precautions to avoid civilian casualties in this operation and disengaged after inflicting some Shebab casualties," the official said.

Declining to identify the people who died, the official said that "even in these extreme operational circumstances, the US military is very cautious to minimise civilian casualties."

Leaders of the Shebab in Barawe, one of the few ports left in the hands of the insurgents, said commandos rappelled from a helicopter but failed in their attempt to storm a house belonging to a senior commander.

The SEAL team approached and fired on the unidentified target's seaside villa by sea, according to The New York Times.

Although the al-Shebab leader was believed to have been killed during the assault, the SEALs had to withdraw before they could confirm the kill, a senior US official told the newspaper.

"The Barawe raid was planned a week and a half ago," a US security official told the Times.

"It was prompted by the Westgate attack."

A senior Somali government official told the newspaper that "the attack was carried out by the American forces and the Somali government was pre-informed about the attack."

Al-Shebab spokesman Abdulaziz Abu Musab told AFP that commandos had stormed the beach by boat, but blamed Britain and Turkey.

"The bungled operation was carried out by white people, who came with two small boats from a larger ship out at sea... one Shebab guard was killed, but reinforcements soon came and the foreigners fled," he said.

"Where the foreigners had been, afterwards we saw lots of blood, so maybe we wounded some."

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Australia raises piracy case with Russia

FOREIGN Minister Julie Bishop has called on Russia to treat Australian Greenpeace activist Colin Russell, who is facing piracy charges, with fairness.

Ms Bishop has met with Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Bali.

"I registered our concern about the charges and also our desire to ensure that he's afforded full due legal process and consular assistance," she told reporters in Bali's Nusa Dua.

Worldwide protests are being held on Saturday for the so-called "Arctic 30", who were detained in the port city of Murmansk after their ship the Arctic Sunrise was boarded at gunpoint by Russian authorities.

Mr Russell, from Tasmania, could face up to 15 years in prison if Russian authorities persist with the piracy charge.

He was among 30 Greenpeace activists charged with the offence for their roles in a protest against oil drilling in the Arctic Circle last month.

Mr Russell's wife Christine addressed a rally in Hobart on Saturday, calling on the Australian government to support the Dutch government's legal efforts to initiate arbitration in the United Nations to secure the crew members freedom.

"I urge Minister Bishop and Prime Minister Abbott to support Colin, with a letter of guarantee to help secure his release," Mrs Russell told the protest.

His daughter Madeleine said his irrepressible sense of humour would keep his spirits up in the jail cell.

Ms Bishop said she is taking a keen interest in the case, which is shaping up as her first major consular challenge since taking over as foreign minister.

She says Australian officials have met with Mr Russell in recent days and plan to do so again soon.

"I understand he is well, his conditions of detention are adequate," she said.

Asked if she believed the piracy charge was too extreme, Ms Bishop said: "We're seeking advice as to whether this charge is appropriate.

"I do note that (Russian) President (Vladimir) Putin said in one press conference that they were clearly not pirates," she said.

"It's a very serious charge."

At a Melbourne protest, around 100 people chanted "Free the Arctic 30" on the steps of Flinders Street Station.

Others circulated a petition to put more pressure on the federal government to take serious action.

Organiser Julien Vincent said the piracy charge was ridiculous and Greenpeace never expected a protest involving ropes and banners could balloon into such a serious incident.

"They are being detained on a charge that is completely unjustified," he said.

"You can understand why there is such an outpouring of support."

Similar rallies were also held in Sydney, Adelaide and Brisbane.

A British-born Australian resident and a New Zealand man who lives in South Australia have also been charged.

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US man sets himself on fire in capital

A man has set himself on fire near the US congress, a fire official says. Source: AAP

A US man has been flown to hospital after setting himself on fire on the National Mall, a fire official says.

Fire crews responded on Friday afternoon to a report of a man on fire.

A witness said she saw a man dump a red canister of petrol on his head and then set himself on fire.

Fire Department spokesman Tim Wilson said the man has life-threatening injuries.

His name and age were not immediately known.

* Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467.

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